Giants Head Coaching Update: Dan Quinn, Brian Flores, Patrick Graham, Lou Anarumo on Team's Head Coaching Radar

A pair of NFC East defensive coordinators, Patrick Graham and Dan Quinn, and a surprising wild card candidate enter the Giants head coaching vacancy search. The latest.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Updated:
Jan 23, 2022 11:56 PM EST
Original:
Jan 23, 2022

The New York Giants, who thus far have interviewed Bills coordinators Brian Daboll (offense) and Leslie Frazier (defense), are expected to interview several additional candidates, all of whom come from the defensive side of the ball.

Dan Quinn, Cowboys Defensive Coordinator

The Giants will welcome the arrival of Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the first of the reported head coaching candidates who will interview at the team's East Rutherford, New Jersey headquarters.

The 51-year-old Quinn, whose resume includes NFL stints as the Falcons head coach (2015-20), Seahawks defensive coordinator (2013-14); Seahawks defensive line coach/assistant head coach, 2009-10; Jets defensive line coach, 2007-08; Dolphins defensive line coach, 2005-06; 49ers defensive line coach, 2003-04; and 49ers defensive quality control coach, 2001-02. He has become a hot commodity, with five other teams--Chicago, Denver, Minnesota, Miami, and Jacksonville--reportedly interested in speaking with him about their respective vacancies.

He fixed a historically bad Cowboys defense that in 2020 allowed a franchise-record 473 points (29.6 points per game, fifth-most in the league) into the league's second-best (21.1 points allowed per game seventh-best mark in the league).

Quinn also led a Falcons team to the Super Bowl in 2016 against the Patriots, where Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead.

New York Giants Head Coaching Candidates

Listed alphabetically.

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Patrick Graham, Giants Defensive Coordinator

New York is also reportedly planning to interview Patrick Graham, their defensive coordinator the last two seasons under former head coach Joe Judge for the position.

Graham, the Giants defensive coordinator over the last two seasons who last year drew interest from the Jets before accepting a contract extension from the Giants and withdrawing from head coaching opportunities, hasn't generated much buzz so far this hiring cycle.

It's unclear if that's because he's still under contract to the team, and they first want to speak with him about their opening, but he is getting a look from new general manager Joe Schoen, who promised to cast a wide net for the Giants next head coach.

Graham, who was also the associate head coach these last two years under Joe Judge, has fielded competitive defenses that have finished each season as the team's strength.

However, this past season, the Giants defense, which lost several cornerbacks and inside linebacker and team leader Blake Martinez, struggled in some aspects, specifically in the two-minute defense and on third- and fourth-downs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have also requested permission to speak with Graham for their vacant defensive coordinator position, which opened up after Keith Butler announced his retirement.

The Steelers link is the only other known interest in Graham to have been publicly revealed. It's also not clear if the Giants have granted permission to the Steelers to speak with Graham.

Brian Flores, Former Dolphins Head Coach

Flores, a Brooklyn, New York native, was reportedly one of the earliest candidates interested in the position. His interest reportedly predated the arrival of general manager Joe Schoen.

Flores, a former assistant coach for Bill Belichick, has a career 24-25 record over three seasons but has missed the playoffs in each. Despite that, Miami had shown progress under his guidance, notching back-to-back winning seasons, including a 10-6 mark in 2020 and a 9-8 mark in 2021.

Flores's Dolphins rebounded from a 1-7 start to the 2021 campaign to finish 9-8, despite some questions about the quarterback position and some player injuries on both sides of the ball.

Flores, who rose through the ranks as an assistant with the Patriots, was considered the Patriots' facto defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick from 2016-18. In 2018, the Patriots defense finished seventh in scoring (20.3), third in interceptions (18), fifth in turnovers (28), and 11th against the run (112.7).

Miami finished sixth (21.1 points per game) and 16th (21.9) in scoring defense in the last two seasons. The Dolphins finished 16th in pass defense (227.7 yards per game) and ninth in takeaways (26) in 2021.

Flores's dismissal from the Dolphins came as something of a surprise given the progress made under his direction. However, his candidacy would likely come with questions about his communication style and what went wrong in Miami.

Lou Anarumo, Bengals Defensive Coordinator

Staten Island native and one-time Giants defensive backs coach (2018) Lou Anarumo emerged as a surprise candidate for the Giants head coaching vacancy.

Anarumo, who has ties with Schoen from their days in Miami when Anarumo coached the Dolphins' defensive backs and who was Miami's interim defensive coordinator in 2015, has been in charge of the Bengals defense since 2019.

This past season, the Bengals defense ranked fifth overall in run defense (102.5 yards/game), 11th in sacks (41), 18th in yards per game (350.8), and 17th in points allowed per game (22.1) in the regular season. Cincinnati's defense, which held off the Tennessee Titans in Saturday's AFC Divisional Playoff Round, was one of the most improved units in the league this past season.

Anarumo met with the Giants on Sunday.